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Fiction- What are you reading? Part 2
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Chrissie- I read Seize the Day but only gave ..."
Definitly! I'll get deeper into his works
Pam wrote: "Laura- Glad to heat you are loving East of Eden! That’s my favorite Steinbeck book! I’ve been thinking about rereading it. Chrissie- I read Seize the Day but only gave it 3 stars. It wasn’t memor..."
I can recommend Herzog and The Victim. Want to remember more about Seize the Day? It is about one day in the life of a middle-aged Jewish man living in NYC. He is separated from his wife, without a job and trying to be good person -- and yet he is pulled in so many directions he is struggling to survive. I have also written a short, short review.
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Yes! Sweet sincerity, a great way to describe him
LauraT wrote: "I've started this week end East of Eden by John Steinbeck.Even if I've only recently "discovered" this author - my father who loved him made me read too early some of his..."
Like you I was forced to read it too early in life. I loved The Grapes of Wrath, Cannery Row and several of his short pieces. Maybe it’s time to reread.
A ferry on a foggy morning, grey skies & seas, was the perfect place to listen to The Return of the Native - Hardy is a master of describing settings. I was almost sorry when we reached land.
Pam wrote: "Laura- Glad to heat you are loving East of Eden! That’s my favorite Steinbeck book! I’ve been thinking about rereading it. Chrissie- I read Seize the Day but only gave it 3 stars. It wasn’t memor..."
Pam wrote: "Laura- Glad to heat you are loving East of Eden! That’s my favorite Steinbeck book! I’ve been thinking about rereading it.
Chrissie- I read Seize the Day but only gave it 3 stars. It wasn’t memor..."
Pam - does The Girl with the Red Balloon relate to 99 Luftballoons, the anti- Berlin Wall pop song https://youtu.be/Lur-SGl3uw8?
Joan wrote: "does The Girl with the Red Balloon relate to 99 Luftballoons, the anti- Berlin Wall pop song https://youtu.be/Lur-SGl3uw8? ..."Joan - I know the song but I don't think the book has any relation to it. Escaping over the Berlin Wall to West Germany is a part of the story, though. In the author's comments, she doesn't say anything about the song.
I have started reading New England White by Stephen L. Carter. So far, so good. This will be my Halloween read.
I started last night False Dawn by Edith Wharton. It is one of the good ones by the author. The only problem is that it is so short. I am almost done! I personally think Edith Wharton's short works are her best.
I am currently reading 3 booksSlade House - A spooky Halloween read
The Good Immigrant - A non-fiction audiobook
War and Peace - A book I have finally worked up the courage to tackle
I am having a hard time getting into anything but just started Flavia de Luce mystery #9 The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley. So far, so good!
I'll be switching my reading from English to Chinese for a couple of months. I'm hoping to pick up two Chinese classics Jin Ping Mei and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio during my upcoming trip to Hong Kong. Need to read the former as part of the research for the novel I'm working on.
Alice wrote: "I'll be switching my reading from English to Chinese for a couple of months. I'm hoping to pick up two Chinese classics Jin Ping Mei and [book:Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio|155..."That's so exciting! Good luck with the research.
Tamara wrote: "Alice wrote: "I'll be switching my reading from English to Chinese for a couple of months. I'm hoping to pick up two Chinese classics Jin Ping Mei and [book:Strange Tales from a Chin..."Thank you, Tamara!
I am reading a book that is at once brilliantly written and something that I don't recommend. It is one of those things that was written a long time ago and has merit in some ways, but the author, even though he was NOT anti-Semitic is racist in a different way.It is a long, literary masterpiece but, horror of horrors, well into it I discovered blatant racism. It was written by an Austrian whose books were was banned by Hitler. One of his smaller characters, who is extremely bright, is African and twice he has used nasty terms to describe him, but I do want to read the rest of the philosophy so am torn.
Arghh! It's The Man Without Qualities by The Man Without Qualities. His wife was half Jewish, although they both converted to Catholicism for political safety even though they later had to leave Austria.
Alice wrote: "I'll be switching my reading from English to Chinese for a couple of months. I'm hoping to pick up two Chinese classics Jin Ping Mei and [book:Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio|155..."That's awesome Alice! Good luck with the book and enjoy your trip!
Pam wrote: "Alice wrote: "I'll be switching my reading from English to Chinese for a couple of months. I'm hoping to pick up two Chinese classics Jin Ping Mei and [book:Strange Tales from a Chin..."Thank you, Pam!
I'm reading Jimbo: A Fantasy. I love Algernon Blackwood! And I don't agree with the many reviewers who say this is not one of his best books - it is certainly very different in a way, in that it involves a kid and starts off rather as a children's book, but it is just as gloomy as the other ones. And I love his prose and his ideas. The subject matter here is a very interesting one - a sort of out of body experience in a young kid who has had a terrible accident and is basically lying in a coma.
I was looking for a translated contemporary novel (to finish a challenge) and found the author Pascal Garnier. The only book my library had on its shelves was The Panda Theory so I'm reading it. (It also fits the crime category for my challenge.) So far I like the writing a lot! It's easy to read with lots of crisp dialogue and a bit of dark humor. I'm not sure where it's going but I think someone will wind up dead! I have never heard of this French author but I'm sure I will read some more of his books.
Marina (Sonnenbarke) wrote: "I'm reading Jimbo: A Fantasy. I love Algernon Blackwood! And I don't agree with the many reviewers who say this is not one of his best books - it is certainly very dif..."One of my favorite ghost stories is Blackwood's "The Haunted Island." He draws out the suspense to an almost unbearable degree. The ending is rather amusing, though.
I have begun The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea. His books of fiction usually confuse me a bit. This time I am just going to read it and not worry about understanding every single detail. I am just hoping I will understand by the end. I have not even reread the GR book description, something I usually do before starting a book.
Not sure how you are going to to feel about the book, but there is plenty of humor.
I have not run into the humor yet.........
Ray wrote: "Any of you like reading memoirs?"Biographies a d memoirs--I like both, but it depends a lot on who the book is about. I prefer historical figures rather than contemporary people with modern day problems.
Diane, yeah I can see now that there are lines meant to be humorous in The House of Broken Angels, but they do not make me laugh! Through GR I have discovered that makes one person laugh does not necessarily make another laugh. Maybe I have not come far enough to empathize yet with the characters. I think perhaps it is easier for those who are accustomed to a language where Spanish and English are mixed. Some of the jargon I cannot figure out. The author reads the audiobook and his Mexican pronunciation is appropriate but doesn't make comprehension easier.
I added House of Broken Angels to my 2019 TBR list. I need a multi-generational saga for a challenge and I’m focusing on Latin American literature next year, so this sounds like the perfect book! Muchas gracias for the recommendation. My 2019 reading list is starting to shape up nicely! Now, if I can just stick to it.
Ray wrote: "Any of you like reading memoirs?"Hi Ray! I read the occasional memoir. I started one yesterday Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel García Márquez. I recently read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, which I liked a lot!
Pam wrote: "I added House of Broken Angels to my 2019 TBR list. I need a multi-generational saga for a challenge and I’m focusing on Latin American literature next year, so this sounds like the perfect book! M..."I have to tell you, it is not exactly my cup of tea. There is a lot of violence and crude talk and although I can see where we are supposed to laugh, I am not laughing. I think it is going to wind up nice though. You get that feeling--it has got to be about the value of family. But I am guessing.
I did like the author's The Devil's Highway: A True Story very, very much.
You might instead consider The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.
Thanks Chrissie! I’ve had House Of Spirits on my radar but haven’t picked it up yet. I’ve also thought about her book Zorro. In 2019 I’ll read one of her books!
Pam, forget Zorro and read her House of Spirits. Her earlier books are much better than her newer ones. And I thought you wanted a book of several generations in Latin America.
Chrissie wrote: "Pam, forget Zorro and read her House of Spirits. Her earlier books are much better than her newer ones. And I thought you wanted a book of several generations in Latin America."Thanks again! Yes, I do want a multi-generational book but I was commenting, in general, that I was interested in Zorro. It's a group read in a different GR group. I'll put it on the back burner.
Pam wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Pam, forget Zorro and read her House of Spirits. Her earlier books are much better than her newer ones. And I thought you wanted a book of several generations in Latin America."T..."
And maybe you will think differently than me............
Like Chrissie, I have enjoyed many of Allende’s books, Zorro not so much, House of Spirits kept me enthralled from beginning to end.
Mod
I liked The House of the Spirits as well Joan and Chrissie
Re Allende: Greg, Joan and Pam, so it is not just me!
What an awful day. I woke to hear about the shootings in a Synagogue in Pittsburgh. To think that 11 people were mowed down whilepraying for no other act than being Jewish.
When I am stressed out I find I immerse myself in a book and so I finished Comeback Love-by Peter Feldman and began The Auschwitz Violinist today.
Nancy , I’m heartbroken for those who died and their families. So sad and appalling beyond words . Scary times in this country.
I read The Hole by South Korean authorHye-Young Pyun yesterday. It was good and in a similar vein of Stephen King's Misery.Starting the novella Ghosts by César Aira today. Then, my plan is to read Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. This is the follow-on book to The Sparrow.
Hello, good am. I have a question? Do you like reading memoirs?
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Chrissie- I read Seize the Day but only gave it 3 stars. It ..."
LauraT, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men are my favorites too. Travels with Charley: In Search of America comes close though. He has written so many truly great books!